Business steady at Philadelphia show

Business was characterized as steady at the 3rd annual Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo held Sept. 15-17 in Philadelphia, according to show chairman David Crenshaw.

Collectors attending were treated to a ‘live’ interview with the founding director of the U.S. Mint, David Rittenhouse.

With the help of American Historical Theatre actor Bob Gleason, Whitman authors Len Augsburger and Joel Orosz brought Rittenhouse to life.

Crenshaw said Rittenhouse kept an audience of numismatists spell-bound. He covered a range of topics, including the correct pronunciation of “disme,” the 1792 variant of the word “dime.” According to Rittenhouse, the “s” is silent.

Rittenhouse also talked about his career as a clockmaker and astronomer.

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Whitman plans to put a video of this event online at WhitmanCoinCollecting.com in the coming weeks, Crenshaw said. The official auction for the show was conducted by Stack’s Bowers Galleries.

Highlight bid of $109,250 captured an example of the 1780 Virginia Happy While United medal, Betts-570. The piece had been ordered by Thomas Jefferson and its creation was overseen by him.

Jefferson served as governor of Virginia 1779-1781, two decades before he became President of the United States.

Whitman said there will be a new booth pricing structure for its 2012 shows that includes the addition of an economy booth, priced as low as $350.

The new structure makes pricing more standardized across Whitman shows, Crenshaw explained.

The next Whitman Coin Expo is the Baltimore show, which is set for Nov. 17-20. The 2012 Philadelphia event will be Sept. 20-22.

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